How to Add a PDF Viewer in WordPress

Do you want to add a PDF viewer in WordPress? By default, WordPress displays PDF files as links. Users can view the PDF by downloading it or opening it a new window. But what if you wanted to embed a PDF in your blog post? In this article, we will show you how to add a PDF viewer in WordPress.

Why and When You Need a PDF Viewer in WordPress?

WordPress does not embed PDF files into blog posts like it does with audio and video embeds. It just adds the file as a downloadable link.

This means that users will have to go away from your page to view the PDF file. Many of these users don’t come back to your site, and this reduces your site’s pageviews as well as user-engagement.

One way to deal with is to offer PDF files as content upgrades. This way, you can ask users to join your email list to get the bonus content.

However if you just want users to view PDF files without leaving your website, then you will need to add a PDF viewer in your WordPress site.

A PDF Viewer will embed the PDF right into your WordPress posts and pages. Users will be able to view, read, download, and even print the PDF file without leaving your site.

Installing and Setting up a PDF Viewer in WordPress

First thing you need to do is install and activate the PDF Viewer plugin. Upon activation, you need to visit Settings » PDF Viewer to configure the plugin settings.

PDF Viewer plugin allows you to control the height and width of the PDF viewer. You can change this if you feel that PDF viewer container is too wide or narrow on your site.

You can also disable support for older versions of Internet Explorer. By default, the plugin will not show the PDF viewer to users with Internet Explorer 9 or below. Instead, those users will see a download link. You can modify the message users with old browsers will see.

Don’t forget to click on the save changes button to store your settings.

Embedding PDF Files with PDF Viewer in WordPress

Adding PDF files in your blog post is quite simple. First you need to upload a PDF file using the media uploader. You can do this by creating a new post or edit an existing one, and then click on the ‘Add Media’ button above the post editor.

After uploading your file, you can copy its URL directly from the media uploader.

Next, you need to add this URL wrapped between [pdfviewer] [/pdfviewer]shortcode. Like this:

I read the info that you indicated. Looks like the pdf viewer is not available for wordpress.com. Too bad. I understand the issue that readers who click on my url for a pdf will go to a separate page, and may not return to my blog. That is a problem. I didn’t know that I would have this a need to display pdfs when I started with wordpress.com, or I may have made a different choice.

Am I correct that WordPress.org is the required application for the embedding plugin? If so, I suggest that information be clearly stated as a requirement. All references that I saw are to the generic WordPress, so it’s not possible (Did I miss it?) to determine whether there is a specific application requirement. It would help us newbies to avoid mistakes, and direct us to potentially making different decisions.
Thanks.

SUMMARY > Don’t you think it’s good practice to use plugins with good ratings, but that are also consistently updated and highly rated ? If you do, please include some info in your posts that acknowledge a suggested plugin hasn’t been updated in a while, but appears to be the best solution among the ones currently available.

I use WordPress.com, not .org. Can I embed pdfs and other documents using a plug-in? I have found varying references, and want to be certain, before experimenting and possibly damaging m existing blog.

WordPress.com edit page does have a location labeled plugins. That also leads me to believe that I can use them, yet, references say “no”. I’ll appreciate an explanation.

Hey Syed,
I think this is the first of its kind pots on wordpress. I did not see a post on PDF for WordPpress, but many of SEO and bloggers are looking for this pluging. So thanks to introduce this to the WP industry. This could be very helpful for tutorials as well.

Like we said, a download link forces users to view the PDF separately. This decreases the time they spend on your page and their chances of coming back to resume browsing your website. You will get the same SEO benefit as adding a download link. Since it is written in JavaScript and compatible with HTML5 search engines can still index your PDF contents if the PDF file has text in it and not just images.

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

Get 15% off an entire Array Themes collection of beautiful magazine, photography and portfolio WordPress themes.

Featured In

About WPBeginner®

WPBeginner is a free WordPress resource site for Beginners. WPBeginner was founded in July 2009 by Syed Balkhi. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other WordPress resources that allows WordPress beginners to improve their site(s).